Pizza Your Way

I understand you don't particularly want to make pizza when it's so darn easy to order online and pick up.  I know there are a multitude of great pizza restaurants catering to rogue toppings, nutritional needs, and price point.  I get that there are some very fine frozen pizzas that you can bake yourself and with a side salad that you picked up from the deli, voilà!  Dinner's on the table in half an hour.

So why in the world am I going to encourage you to make your own pizza?  That's a very good question.  And some very good answers are:
A.  because you can do it
B.  because you know exactly what is going into the crust and toppings
C.  because you can make it your way
D.  because homemade pizza tastes way better than anyone else's

But maybe the best answer is E., you will not have to deal with fitting those pesky cardboard boxes into your trashcan.

I'm not even going to ask you if you are convinced.  I'm just going to get on with the business of show and tell.

Pizza Your Way
Yield:  3 10-inch pizzas adorned as you see fit

Crust
adapted from a recipe in this cookbook

1 package dried yeast (I used Fleischmann's Rapid Rise)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 scant cup warm water (or 7 ounces)
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Cornmeal

Topping example

1 lb. broccoli rabe, rinsed and trimmed
1 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes
Salad olives, chopped
Roasted red peppers (from a jar)
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. For the topping, cook the broccoli rabe as you would spinach.  In a pan that you've drizzled with a bit of olive oil and water, sauté the broccoli rabe until it wilts and softens.  If you like it spicy, add in a 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.  After it cools, chop roughly.
2.  Open the can of whole tomatoes and pour the contents into a sieve.  Save the liquid for some other purpose.  Take the tomatoes and roughly chop.
3.  Chop one or two peppers roughly.
4.  Chop 20 salad olives roughly.
5.  Set prepared toppings aside while you tend to the crust.

1.  For the crust, open the yeast package and sprinkle into a large bowl (I used the bowl of my electric mixer).
2.  Add 2/3 cup of the warm water on top of the yeast and stir in the sugar.
3.  Leave this mixture alone until frothy (5 minutes or so).
4.  Pour the flour, salt, and olive oil into the mixing bowl with the yeast.
5.  Add the remaining warm water (a scant 1/3 cup).
6.  Attach the dough hook.
7.  Turn your mixer on low and allow ingredients to combine.
8.  The dough will begin to adhere to the dough hook.  That's what you want.
9.  When all the ingredients have been incorporated and embracing the dough hook, turn off the mixer.
10. Peel the dough off the hook, place it onto a lightly floured countertop and knead until it is pliable, but not sticky (about 10 minutes).
11. Shape the dough into a ball and place into a lightly oiled bowl, turning over once so that the entire ball is greased.
12. Cover the bowl with saran wrap (or a clean dish towel...or both!) and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
13. After the dough has risen, punch down, divide into 3 portions (or whatever you like).

       

14. Press each ball of dough into a circle with your hands on a cornmeal dusted surface.  Then, roll out into a thin crust with a rolling pin, adding more cornmeal to prevent sticking.  Add your toppings- tomatoes and rabe first, then the olives and peppers, and topped with cheese shreds.
15. Crimp the sides by folding over the edge of the dough while finger-pinching.
16. Set your gas grill on high and preheat for 15-20 minutes.  Then place prepared pizza onto cornmeal dusted peel and slide directly onto grill.  Close lid and grill until golden brown with a little char on the bottom (about 7 minutes).
17. Alternately, preheat your oven to 475ºF.  Place pizza on a baking sheet and bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or  until golden brown.
18. Cool slightly before cutting.  Serve with a drizzle of olive oil.

Note:  If you don't have an electric mixer, disregard steps 6 - 9 and mix everything by hand until all ingredients are combined and you can move the dough to your countertop to knead.